Page 6
THE LEXHIPEP
April 1, 1949
SPORTSUGHTS
DOSTER WOOD
Editor
JIM REDWINE
Assistant
Jackets Are Conference Champions
Jackets Ousted
At Mooresville
Carter and Shytle On
All-Tourney Five
Three! That seems to be the Yel-
lowjackets’ jinx number; that is, it
you’re superstitious.
1
Lexington meets T’ville for the third
time—Lexington gets beat by three
points. See? Einstein didn’t have to
help, either.
The Jackets had come a long way
since January 7—the night they took
Barium in their conference opener.
They had hustled, fought and hus
tled some more to get that confer
ence championship.
They had taken their first tourna
ment scrap easily in running over a
week North Wilkesboro five, 46-35.
Then came T’ville. Rapid Robert
Shytle reached new heights as he be
wildered both players and fans alike
with his uncanny accuracy. His 25
points all but doubled his nearest
rival’s, Jones of T’ville, who hit 13.
Harold Carter made 9 points for
second place scoring honors. Both
Harold and Bob were selected on the
“All-Tournament” five; both played
brilliant ball all the way.
After the Jackets took a 23-20 lead
at the half it was anybody’s ball game
—all the way to the final whistle.
The game ended with both teams
knotted at 44-44. But the taller Bull
dog squad managed a quick five points
and were able to control both back-
boards to a sufficient extent. The ex
tra period was over. The final score
49-46. Just three points.
So the Jackets struggled home with
nothing but their conference crown
to keep them happy.
Nothing but?!!
Who said dat?!!
FIRST BASEBALL
GAME TONIGHT
L.H.S. HIGH POINT
“Strike three! You’re out!” Yes,
once again sports fans will soon be
hearing that old familiar cry. Base
ball is once again underway in Lex
ington High School, and again L. H.
S. is expected to produce a power
house like the one they had last year.
Regular practice began Monday,
March 21, and there are many cap
able players out for the team. The
boys who are back from last year’s
team are; Bill Eanes, Harold Carter,
Blake Phillips, Kenneth Everhart,
Don Leonard, Marvin Crow, J. L. Peel
er, Bob Calloway, Richard Smith,
Charles McCrary, Hal Crotts, Charles
Rogers, and “Stinky” Thomason. The
manager this year is Bryce Leonard,
who will be assisted by Buddy Poster.
The boys are under the tutorship
of Coach Jimmy Maus. They will play
their first game tonight at Holt-Mof-
fitt field against High Point High.
JIM
REDWINE
TOURNAMENT TALK
“Some you win, some you lose, and some are rained out”—that’s about all
the boys had to say as they showered and dressed after dropping a heart-
breaker to Gray High of Winston-Salem in the State Class A play-offs. In
fact, that’s about all there was to say. After all—they had just won eleven
consecutive games to capture the South Piedmont Conference championship.
No, the boys couldn’t gripe; they’d had their good breaks and their bad ones.
They weren’t complaining.
It was a case of “luke-warm” versus “red-hot;” the Gray team being
the latter. Coach Tom Cash of Gray remarked after the game, “I’ve never
seen the boys that hot before—never.”
The fellows struggled out one by one, a little disappointed, a little dis
gusted. But you caught parts of different conversations; “Bring on T’ville,”
“On to Mooresville”—No, sir! Those boys weren’t beaten, not by any means.
ANOTHER TOURNAMENT—MORE TALK
Once more the boys were slowly jerking off sweety basketball apparel,
once more they slowly showered and dressed. Yes, it was a different tourna
ment in a different town, but the boys had once more been beaten, this time
by their arch-conference rivals, T’ville, whom they had defeated twice during
regular season play.
The boys were plainly disgusted—to go into an over-time period and
then lose; that was tough. They had wanted that tournament cup to rest
beside their newly acquired conference trophy.
But the champs were ousted. Heck! That conference trophy looked
pretty good by itself.
TO THE COACH—APPLAUUSE
It’s too bad the South Piedmont Conference doesn’t pick a “coach-of-the-
year”; if it did there would inevitably be another feather in Lexington’s cap.
Not only did Coach Harold Bowen take his first self-coached team, and
whip it into a top-fiight ball club; but he also brought L.H.S. its first con
ference crown in around nine long years.
Here’s hoping he sticks around awhile!
Take TVille 52-44
In Championship Game
Yes, it was hard to believe. You
pinched yourself for the third time
in as many minutes. Lexington had
finally won a conference champion
ship—it wasn’t naturai!
But it was time. After what seemed
to be a decade of second places and
near misses, the Jackets had finally
done it—an honest-to-goodness cham
pionship.
No black magic was- employed. The
Jackets merely outhustled the Thom-
asville High club in a 52-44 victory
to take the long awaited crown.
The boys really played themselves
a bail game. Bobby Shytle and Har
old Carter, the Jackets’ scoring com
bination, played flawless ball; Bob’s 16
and Harold’s 12 points were high for
the champs-to-be. However, these
two were only two-fifths of the Jack
ets’ club that night—no more, no less.
Captain J. L. Peeler hit for 8 points
and was instrumental in numerous
others. Marvin Crow played a fine*
floor game and tallied 6 points to
further aid the Jackets. ’Tubby Cra-
ver threw in 8 points in one of his
best games of the season.
Yes, the Jackets were red-hot. They
were trailing 6-12 at the end of the
first quarter. Undaunted they fought
to a 24-20 lead before the half ended.
This was no ordinary game. The
crowd was too noisy—the players too
jumpy. The noise grew louder and
louder—it couldn’t increase, but it
did. The Jackets increased their lead,
and weren’t too hard pressed; never
theless, everyone was screaming.
Suddenly the whistle blew. It was
over! The crowds poured on to the
floor; the crowd poured out the door.
Everyone was in a hurry, but no one
moved. Who cared? 52-44! A cham
pionship !
The boys fought their way to the
dressing room. Everyone was talk
ing, but nobody said anything.
The fellows showered and dressed;
they were happy—they were champs!
Lexington Loses Bid
For State Championship
Lexington High finished in top place
among the teams in the South Pied
mont Conference which automatically
gave them a change to compete for
the State Championship.
The “Jackets” played their first
game against Gray High of Winston-
Salem at Reynolds High gym March 4.
Gray got off to an early start against
the jittery “Jackets” and had gained
a 10 point lead by the end of the
first half. The third quarter was a
nip and tuck affair, and at the end
of the third quarter. Gray still had
its 10 point lead. Not until late in
the last quarter did the locals begin
playing their usual type of basketball
But as it has often been proved, it
was too late to start. When * the
whistle blew the score stood 48-46
Jones was high scorer for the win
ners with 15 points. Carter was high
for Lexington with 16 points.
The line ups were:
Lexington Gray
Carter 16 Walser 10
Shytle 15 Pettyjohn 55
Craver 6 Jones 15
Peeler 5 Adams 11
Crow 3 Bowman
L.H.S. Midgets Lose
In First Game
Thomasville, March 7—For the sec
ond consecutive time Lexington High
entered a midget basketball team in
the tournament sponsored by the
Thomasville Junior Chamber of Com
merce.
Although the “baby jackets” had a
determined team, they were unable
to win out over a stronger Moores
ville quint in their first game. Moores
ville got the jump by taking an early
lead and the locals were never able
to get ahead.
Looking back a year we find that
L. H. S. was entered in this same
tournament and went all the way to
be tournament champions of 1948. But
as it happened only two of the ’48
team were able to play this year.
Nevertheless, this tournament is an
annual event, and Lexington will be
there next year.
This year’s team consisted of Bruce
Hayes, Jimmy Everhart, Cary Ever
hart, Glenn Smith, Doster Wood, Jim
my Thomason ,Jimmy Powell, Billy
Jrotts, Bobby Clinard and Fred Lohr.